We all do. There is no one that hasn’t.
The difference is what happens after the fact.
Depending on how you handle a screw up it can go one of two ways: We move on or They (your clients) move on.
Let’s hope for the former.
If you do screw up or rather, when you do, this is what you need to do:
- Own it. Accountability is critical to any bad situation. Being accountable actually shows maturity and builds trust.
- Explain what happened. We know it went wrong and we know who caused it but we need to know why. This is important for the next step.
- What you have done to prevent it happening again. This helps cement the first two steps but more importantly if you have put forward a suggestion that you believe will prevent the occurrence of it happening again not only are you showing planning but in some instances there may be better or additional solutions that you may not have considered. By discussing you give others the chance to concur or if need be make a suggestion that may be even better.
Remember this is not an ego thing, this is a Deliaf thing! - Apologise. Yip. Say sorry. It doesn’t always make the event go away and in some instances this and the 3 points above may still not be enough to prevent the customer leaving but if it is sincere and delivered meaningfully chances are you will be forgiven.
BL
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